Working Together in the Lower Gila River Corridor

Vital modifications have occurred within the ecosystems of the Decrease Gila River (the river stretch from the Metropolis of Phoenix’s Tres Rios Wetlands to Gillespie Dam south of Arlington), attributable to historic land and water administration practices (akin to dams and diversion upstream) mixed with a warmer and drier local weather.

These modifications have contributed to the proliferation of invasive crops—like salt cedar (also called tamarisk)—crowding out native crops, reducing the water high quality and amount, lowering leisure entry to the river, and creating choke factors that may trigger damaging floods with high river flows. The enlargement of salt cedar additionally poses a heightened hearth danger as a result of the species burns hotter and faster than native desert crops, fueling fires that burn extra intensely.

This 36-mile stretch of the Decrease Gila River has seen its share of wildfires over time, with the current Hazen Fire (Might 2026) burning nearly1,200 acres within the Gila River backside close to Buckeye.

Audubon Southwest and companions are constructing upon many years of labor within the space and coming collectively because the Lower Gila River Collaborative (LGRC) to revitalize the river by advancing strategic habitat restoration, lowering flood and hearth danger, enhancing leisure entry, and boosting financial alternatives within the hall.

To advance the dialog, Audubon hosted the Decrease Gila River Discussion board on the Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Heart. Individuals mentioned land and water points within the Decrease Gila River, together with funding wants, limitations to implementing extra initiatives, and on-the-ground restoration work.

U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani, (R-Ariz.) offered digital opening remarks. The occasion introduced collectively state leaders, metropolis council members, Tribal representatives, water companies, and congressional employees from the workplaces of U.S. Reps. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) and Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), and U.S. Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.).

Sine Kerr, Farm Providers Company State Government Director for Arizona, shared a legacy perspective from her time as an Arizona State Senator the place her legislative accomplishments included the 2022 historic investments in Arizona’s water future by increasing the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona, in addition to securing $5 million for the Gila River Nonnative Vegetation Species Eradication Fund. This funding allowed the Arizona Division of Forestry and Hearth Administration to take away salt cedar and set up native crops at challenge websites, making a extra resilient panorama.

Dr. David DeJong spoke on the Gila River Indian Group’s long-term imaginative and prescient for its water future and the revolutionary habitat restoration and groundwater recharge services the group has constructed to revitalize the Gila River.

Panelists from the Metropolis of Goodyear, Buckeye Water Conservation and Drainage District, and CalPortland provided views from a municipal, agricultural, and mining level of view.

One other panel—that includes the Metropolis of Phoenix, Arizona State College’s Rio Reimagined initiative, the Arizona Sport and Fish Division, and the Arizona Division of Forestry and Hearth Administration—explored conservation, recreation, and funding alternatives and showcased the work of the Decrease Gila River Collaborative.

And again in March of 2026, the Arizona Division of Forestry and Hearth Administration hosted State Sen. Tim Dunn (R-Ariz.) and different stakeholders on a tour of their Decrease Gila River Initiative challenge websites to see what investing in this kind of restoration work to take away salt cedar and reestablish native crops appears like on the bottom. One of many websites visited, close to Freeway 85, proved to function a hearth break within the Hazen Hearth, defending the bridge infrastructure whereas enhancing the resilience of the panorama. This restored web site stands out within the aftermath of the hearth, as flames skirted across the space.

In 2025, the Lower Gila River Collaborative partners eliminated 784 acres of invasive crops, planted 645 native species, and enhanced greater than 740 acres of riverside habitat, along with outreach efforts with landowners and the local people.

The work just isn’t over as soon as the salt cedar is eliminated and native species are planted. Restoration websites have to be monitored and maintained to stop salt cedar from returning and to measure progress on the well being of the native plantings.

To measure progress, in 2025, Audubon and the Decrease Gila River Collaborative companions started a drone vegetation monitoring initiative within the river hall. Audubon Southwest’s licensed drone pilots (Elija Flores and Tucker Davidson) deliberate and executed flights over challenge websites with our multispectral drone. “Multispectral” means the drone is provided with single-wavelength cameras that seize particular wavelengths of sunshine, like Close to Infrared, which is invisible to the human eye.

After the drone flights, the information is processed utilizing specialised Geographic Data System (GIS) instruments to provide maps and fashions that may be analyzed to decide quite a lot of components from plant sort and well being, soil circumstances, and far more. By performing these drone flights and analyses on a biannual schedule, we’re making a library of snapshots in time and gathering takeaways to tell and prioritize future restoration work.

And down on the state Capitol, legislators are crafting the state budget for the subsequent fiscal yr, which begins July 1, 2026. This legislative session, Senator Dunn launched Senate Bill 1677, which might allocate $3 million to the Arizona Division of Forestry and Hearth Administration to proceed their work to cut back flood and hearth danger by strategically eradicating salt cedar and reestablishing native crops, restoring habitat alongside the Decrease Gila River west of Phoenix and alongside the confluence of the Gila and Colorado Rivers, close to Yuma. This invoice unanimously handed the Home Pure Assets, Vitality, and Water Committee on March 24. Now, it have to be included into the state price range to turn into a actuality.

There’s a lot work to be finished on this river hall, work that might not be completed with out the continuing partnership of various stakeholders, to enhance the outlook of the Decrease Gila River. Audubon is particularly grateful to have acquired a WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management Program grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to strengthen the Decrease Gila River Collaborative and perform its strategic motion plan.

Make certain to join our Western Water Action Network to obtain alerts about alternatives to weigh in on water administration choices—like investing in Arizona’s lands and waters within the state price range—that can form the way forward for Western rivers, lakes, and the birds, wildlife and those that depend upon them.

The Decrease Gila River Collaborative (LGRC) is a voluntary partnership of greater than 30 state companies, non-governmental organizations, Tribes, and recreation and agricultural water customers, together with Gila River Indian Group; cities of Avondale, Buckeye, Goodyear, and Phoenix; Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Division; Flood Management District of Maricopa County; Arizona Division of Sport and Fish; Arizona Division of Forestry and Hearth Administration; and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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